The Magic of Santa Fe Talk to anyone who chose to move to Santa Fe, NM and you will hear a story of how they came to live in "The City Different." Words like "serendipity" and "magic" will often pepper the story told and re-told with genuine amazement, as if moving to a new locale were an event of cosmic proportions. When it comes to Santa Fe, perhaps it is.   “Santa Fe Style” Santa Fe has a mystique which it has carefully cultivated to the point where "Santa Fe style" is recognized worldwide, representing not only Pueblo-style architecture but furnishings, clothing, food and art, as bold and colorful as our truly spectacular sunsets. "The light, the light is what drew me here!" exclaims many a Santa Fe transplant. For others the lure is less esoteric: a small, progressive city with a thriving arts community; a mild four-season climate; over 300 days of sunshine a year; an abundance of recreational opportunities in the mountains ringing the east side; and a "consciousness" that expresses itself in holistic therapies, organic food markets, New Age pundits, and a general tolerance and openness to new people and ideas. It is, most find, a "friendly" town. “It’s Not Cheap” Santa Fe is an oasis -- not of water (this is a high mountain desert, and an investment in lip balm and body lotion must be factored in to the cost of living!), but of art, culture, intelligentsia and, yes, wealth -- amid one of the poorest states in the nation. Santa Fe is also considered a “destination” and “resort” market due to the myriad of cultural offerings and quality of life, which are always in-demand. Property prices are higher than other parts of the state due to demand exceeding supply, and agreement of value among sellers and buyers. There are a limited number of houses in the historic district, foothills and city center, and almost no more land on which to build. As the value of develop-able land becomes more scare, builders are forced to maximize their land investment by building increasingly more-expensive homes. This has happened on the northwest, north, east and southeast sides of the city, with tract-home developments predominating on the far southwest side. Due to the scarcity of land and the details of construction, homes in these “close in” areas tend to hold their value. For real estate buyers, the “sticker shock” of Santa Fe’s $200-$500 a square foot is relative to where they came from; compared to New York, D.C., San Francisco, London, Aspen, etc., Santa Fe offers great value. A criticism is that often this wealth, in the form of vacation-home owners, does not much contribute to the health and welfare of the local economy. However, on the upside, funded by this wealth, Santa Fe is home to more non-profit organizations per capita than any other city in the U.S. This means an abundance of services and opportunities for local residents.   “You gotta wanna be here” While the issues of cost of living here, or elsewhere, are complex, and the perspective individual, people from all economic strata and personal/professional interests find their way to this city where, clearly, one must want to be in order to make the effort to even get here. Santa Fe is located some 60 miles north of Albuquerque, the closest commercial airport and arguably, a prize testament to ugly suburban sprawl. There are no rivers or lakes in the vicinity of Santa Fe. No other cities. Only wide-open stretches of rolling hills dotted with juniper and scrub grass, flat-topped mesas, lone rock formations and pine and aspen-covered mountains, the tail-end of the Rockies...and yes, flat-roofed stucco-brown houses.   The Romance of the West There is the romance of the Southwest -- individualism, open spaces, big blue skies -- and, specifically, of Santa Fe: Georgia O'Keefe, the Plaza at the end of the Santa Fe Trail, Pueblo-revival architecture á la John Gaw Meem who "saved" Santa Fe style, William Lumpkins who pioneered solar homes in the 1970s, and a myriad of writers, artists, musicians who call Santa Fe home, or have credited it with their inspiration. There is also, throughout each summer, a million tourists who flock from near and far to wander our quaint European-like small streets, buy jewelry direct from the Native craftsmen, visit some of our 200 art galleries and major museums, sample the food (a special treat for chile aficionados) and attend the famed Spanish Market, Indian Market and opera season in an open-air theatre worthy of a pilgrimage. And, speaking of pilgrimages, there is the annual Easter procession to the mountain town of Chimayo where dirt in the Sanctuario is said to possess healing powers. Ah, the magic. And how does one separate the magic or myth from Reality? Again, it’s a very personal matter.   Love it or you’ll be compelled to leave Newcomers are repeatedly told: "Santa Fe either embraces you or spits you out." Those who stay and are enamored feel embraced. Those who aren’t enamored leave, and usually quite quickly and bitterly. It is said that Santa Fe is not an easy town in which to make a living, although I don’t know where is. As anywhere, much depends upon one's skill level and moxie. Most employers -- besides the state government, with a legislature that meets 6 weeks a year in Santa Fe's "roundhouse," (state capitol) and Los Alamos National Laboratory (30 miles northwest, which employs some 1,800 Ph.D.'s primarily in weapons research) -- are small businesses, and the service and hospitality industries dominate. Those who tend to do well here are entrepreneurial, small business owners who either start an enterprise or are able to garner income from some distant source, like telecommuting or internet-based businesses. To learn more about business in Santa Fe, visit Bridges To Santa Fe. What’s in it for you? If you are drawn to Santa Fe, for whatever reasons; if you see your self here; if it “feels” like the place you want to call home, then, like most of us who love it, you will fit right in, doors will open and you will find the magic of Santa Fe does not disappoint. © Aysha Griffin 2008 http://www.bridgestosantafe.comshapeimage_6_link_0

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